Authors and Publicity: Insider Tips from Kendra Riley of Dawning PR
If we could pinpoint one of our most commonly asked question here at Evergreen Authors, it would be this:
"Who is the best publicist to hire to spread the word about my book?"
For many years, we haven't had an answer to this.
In fact, if you have been around this whole writing game for a long time, you know that this is probably one of the hardest questions for any author or publisher to answer.
The price is too high. Plus, most publicists don’t understand the unique challenges authors face. Why bother?
Then we met Kendra Riley, the driving force behind Dawning PR.
Not only does she have many years experience doing publicity for major businesses and brands, she also has worked with many bestselling authors, getting them featured in local and national news.
For those serious about elevating their publicity game, this webinar is for you:
Watch Now: Authors and Publicity: Insider Tips From a PR Expert
To be honest, we could have talked to Kendra all day!
We felt validated by many of the tips and tricks she shares—they are the same ones we share in our book, The Evergreen Author: Master the Art of Book Marketing, and with every author who purchases our courses.
Here are a few of our highlights from the webinar:
1) For Best Results From Your Publicist…Collaborate
Publicity, just like all marketing work, is built around partnerships.
We love Kendra's approach in that it starts with 1:1 meetings with the author to get a sense of their goals and their unique angle, and really focuses on getting the author prepared for how to interact best with the media.
2) If Money is Tight, Check out Kendra’s Publicity Course for Authors
You know we are all about DIY in publishing and marketing, as long as it’s done right.
Kendra’s DIY publicity course for authors comes with templates, lists of contacts, and tips and tricks for doing publicity on your own, but most importantly, includes a 1:1 session with Kendra to help maximize your chances for success.
3) Publicity is a Long Game
Many authors think that publicity is only something that happens at the launch of the book, or if they happen to get lucky with a viral social media post.
An effective publicity campaign can impact your book sales and exposure for months or even years after publication! We talk to Kendra about integrating your content wisely.
4) AI Isn’t Taking Anything Over… Yet
As we talked through Kendra’s best tips and tricks acquired from years of working with authors across genres, we couldn’t help but ask about AI. We think her answers will surprise you.
Spoiler: Use AI as a tool if you want to, but don’t worry about it replacing trusted relationships just yet.
We are so grateful to Kendra Riley and the Dawning PR team for giving us their time and energy and are absolutely thrilled to share her with our Evergreen Authors!
“Smart authors take these media placements and make the most of them, whether it be a story in Forbes or a segment on their local news. They display them prominently on their website’s media page, post and boost the coverage to the right people on social media, and continually refer to them in their interactions with their audiences as a way to build trust in their brand.”
—Kendra, Dawning PR
